Oven Baked Fries

We like to have french fries or tater tots with burgers, BLTs, hot dogs, sloppy joes, anything with a bun really. We end up eating them almost once every week. So rather than buy a 2 dollar bag of frozen tots or fries, I bought a 5lb. bag of potatoes (that I got for $1.28) and made my own. It was an easy enough process and I loved the result. Seasoning plays a huge part in the taste of these since they are basically slices of baked potato, so I added my favorite fry seasoning. Then I went a little further and topped with some cheese. :) Don't forget to spray the foil or they will stick. In order for them to evenly cook they need to be placed in a single layer. I have tried to make 2 large pans and rotate them halfway through baking, but it didn't seems to work well. One of my pans was not as crispy as the other. So just use your largest cookie sheet and cram as many on there as you can. If your potatoes start to turn a little brown before you're done cutting them up, cover them with water until ready to use. Make sure you serve the fries immediately because they won't stay crispy for long. You could also leave the skin on the potatoes if you're into more rustic fries (this pic is skin on).

Oven Baked Fries
2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled (or not), and cut into same size fries
2 TBSPs of canola oil
1/2 TBSP salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
Shredded cheese (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a heavy-duty baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle oil over the potatoes and toss with your hands until evenly coated. Arrange the fries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until bottoms start to brown. Remove from oven. Using tongs, flip each fry, keeping the potatoes in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crispy, 10-15 minutes longer.
4. While fries are baking, combine spices in small bowl.
5. When fries have finished baking, remove from oven and sprinkle with seasoning. If topping with cheese, sprinkle with cheese and return to oven just until cheese had melted. Serve immediately.

Ready to Bake (no skins)

Seasoning